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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Saturday's snail mail...

My endeavor to mail 52 letters in 52 weeks continues.














This card is on its way to Wanda.  I received the nicest letter from her about a week ago.  She is also mailing 52 letters in 52 weeks this year.  It was such a lovely newsy letter, that anyone who picked it up and read it would imagine that we are old friends.  But no, we have just become acquainted through this really wonderful practice we are in for the year.

accountability stats:  23 weeks / 44 letters
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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Welcome to my parlor...













Renewing a Halloween tradition that started when our kids were little, Carey and I spent yesterday morning constructing a giant spider web in Kasey's front yard as a surprise for the littles when they got home from school.  This year I found an awesome giant spider with wiry legs that was perfect for this project.

It was totally worth it to see their reactions.  (I actually think Kasey liked it best of all.) 

We are expecting a cold front to arrive tomorrow.  We shall see if our work survives the winds!
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

What I'm reading Wednesday...















Abducted by T.R. Ragan

Ten plus years after a teenager escapes a serial killer after being abducted and held for two months, he comes after her again.  Creepy.
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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Mixed up...

Ahhh...today marks the end of another work week for me.  Nice to be home.

I found myself at WalMart on my lunch hour today.  Since I'm going to have the kids on Saturday, I thought I'd better have some snacks on hand.  Of course with all the Halloween candy on display, the candy corn could hardly be avoided.  My friend, the other Kathleen, loves candy corn and Cheetos together, so I thought the kids might think that was a fun combination.  I thought I'd expand on the idea a little, and I got some Crazy Corn and M&Ms to throw into the mix too.  Done! 

Maybe I'll have some better nutritional options available too.  :)

Wouldn't you know that I forgot to pick up one of the main things I went for though?  Ugh.
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

What I'm reading Wednesday...







photo credit: Midnight Ink Publishing

Dead and Berried by Karen MacInerney.  A woman from Austin, Texas moves to Maine and opens a bed and breakfast.  Hmmm...wonder why this book appealed to me.  Well...I don't really want to own a bed and breakfast in Maine, I would just like to visit one.  :)
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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Rachael Ray I'm not, but...














I'm tired and my feet hurt.  Now I remember why I keep an extra pair of comfortable shoes at work...too bad I didn't have any there today.

I did not want to cook for just me.  But neither could I face anything takeout.  So I threw together some bowties, and the only green vegetable left in the fridge (one lonely little zucchini).  And mixed up a fabulous (but easy) Alfredo sauce.  It was really good, but would have been better with more zucchini.

I know it wasn't exactly the best nutritional choice.  But it was this or popcorn.
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Sunday, October 16, 2011

A Caitlyn kind of day...

Caitlyn came over for her individual-attention day with us.

The first thing on her list of things to do was make a card to send to her great-grandmother.  Apparently the card that Chloe sent last week got her a letter from Ma by return mail, and it made an impression.  Caitlyn decided that she wanted to have a photo of herself on the front of the card, so we went out and took a few head shots, and settled on this one.
















The inside of the card had a stamped message and a handwritten one too.  She also drew a picture that I thought was adorable.  It's of her and Ma...and she gave Ma white hair.  (love!)  She is already signing her name by dotting the 'i' with a heart.












Then we made a headband from a kit we got as a giveaway from Stephanie.  We didn't get a good photo of it, because we were pressed for time...such a full agenda today...but she is wearing it in the photo below.  She already has a design in mind for another one to make next time.

She and Papa got to play outside while I got even more crafty stuff ready. We also made the obligatory trip to Sonic. If you look close you can see the remains of the Oreo Sonic Blast around her mouth in the photo below with the turkey. :) 

I've been wanting to make some 2x4 turkey decorations with the girls ever since I saw them on Ucreate last year!  Carey prepared the wood pieces for us, and Caitlyn and I painted and sanded and glued to our hearts' content.  Didn't it turn out awesome?  I have a feeling it will be among their fall decorations for a long time.  Chloe will get to make one next weekend.












We didn't have a lot of photo-taking time, because we were so busy creating all afternoon.  It was a DE-light-ful day!

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

What I'm reading Wednesday...

photo credit: publisher 

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch.  Murder mystery in seventeenth century Germany.  Feuds, witch hunt, torture, herbs, signs...interesting!
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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Creating order...

Something to be said about turning this...













...into this.













Always makes me feel a little nostalgic for those baskets full of fresh-off-the-line or warm-out-of-the-drier cloth diapers in days of yore.

Don't mention this to my husband...he will scoff, as he is usually the one to wash and fold the towels.  It is not my fault he chooses to do them while I am at work...or busy with other things...or shopping...
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Thursday, October 6, 2011

A Chloe kind of day...

 
She's the youngest.  She is NOT supposed to grow so quickly.



 


Of course, if she insists on growing so quickly, I am definitely going to continue encouraging things like yard work.  :)

(I really need to empty that complete sand box...sift all the sand to remove the leaves and twigs...check and/or replace the liner...and refill with the cleaned up sand.  And while I'm at it, I should rake the back yard of all those oak leaves and acorns.  Yeah.  I'll get right on that.)

Oh, speaking of yard work...after dinner tonight, we were reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and it said something about a wheel barrow.  Chloe says, 'what's a wheel barrow?'  I say it's something you use to work outside and move things...kind of like a wagon, only it has one wheel in front, and two handles on the back.  She says,'yeah, we don't have one of those.'

Last week her daddy took her to the gas station with him.  While he was there he bought a lottery ticket, and before putting it away, he kissed it.  Chloe can't quite figure that out, so she asks, 'Daddy!  Why did you kiss that paper?'

'Because it has numbers on it,'  Daddy says.  'And tonight there will be numbers on the TV.  And if they are the same numbers, you never have to work again.'

'I don't have to work now,' she says. 'I'm five.'

She likes to go to Sonic with Grandma, so of course we had to go.  She also wanted to make a card to send to her great grandma.  We read Eye Spy books and Mrs. Piggle Wiggle.  And colored and ate ice cream.


















It's a pretty great way to spend the day.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

What I'm reading Wednesday...















photo credit: Andrews McMeel Publishing


Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, a collection of humorous essays.  It is available at an unturndownable price at Amazon right now.  I needed something that I could enjoy in quick reading sessions this week.  I'm not much of a knitter, but I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with so many of her thoughts.  And the chuckles are most welcome.
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Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Boo...hiss...













I'm pretty sure I've bemoaned the atrocious customer service of Office Depot personnel here before.  And I really try to stay away from their stores because of it.  But today I really needed to pick up a couple of things and have something printed on a laser printer and save as much time as possible, so I made the mistake of stopping at the nearest Office Depot. 

Verily I say unto you, they have the most apathetic and downright surly staff of any large chain store I've come across.  And they are completely unapologetic about it!

Today I ended up standing and waiting.  Finally I asked if anyone was working the printing counter, only to hear one employee tell another to help me, to which the response was, "I'll be there in a minute."  Neither employee ever addressed me directly in any way.  Oh, and by the way, I was the ONLY customer in the store...they were not suffering a mad crush of business.  I waited several more minutes, and finally left my intended purchases on the counter and walked out before I embarrassed myself by...oh, I don't know...throwing something and screaming, maybe.

I would have saved more time and angst if I had driven the extra five miles to their competition in the first place.  Now I have to add 'write letter of complaint to Office Depot' to my to-do list this week.
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Monday, October 3, 2011

Oh, lover...I mean liver...

This is what Carey requested I make for dinner.  Indeed.  Liver and onions.  And I actually prepared it.















If there are any doubts floating around as to whether or not this man is loved, this should dispell all.  I think it's been about twenty years or more since I've made this meal. I usually suggest that he quench his cravings for it at restaurants.  (Hey, I said he was loved...I didn't say he was loved beyond all reason!)

It actually turned out very well.  I added some maple-smoked bacon to Mom's old recipe.  It's true what they say...bacon really does make everything better!  :)  And Carey was very happy.

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Sunday, October 2, 2011

Saturday's snail mail...

My endeavor to send 52 letters in 52 weeks continues.


The hardest letter yet.  This week I learned that a sweet friend lost her son...so young...I think he was only twenty-three.

accountability stats: 22 weeks / 41 letters
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